Johnny Eves sidelined due to injury

ARCADIA, Calif. - Johnny Eves, the winner of the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita last month, has been turned out until the summer at the earliest with a suspensory injury, trainer Jay Robbins said on Saturday.

Robbins said the injury was detected after a routine gallop last week, and it was confirmed by a scan test.

"He has a slight tear of the suspensory," Robbins said. "He did that galloping and it showed up the next morning. We'll give him four months and then we'll compare the scans."

Owned by Sharon Hilliard, Johnny Eves, 5, has won 7 of 20 starts and $581,120. He won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes in 2007 and the Grade 3 Vernon Underwood Stakes at Hollywood Park in December.

Before the injury, Johnny Eves was considered a candidate for Saturday's $150,000 San Carlos Handicap, a Grade 2 over seven furlongs. Without him, the race is led by Georgie Boy, the winner of the Sunshine Millions Sprint on Jan. 24. A five-time stakes winner, Georgie Boy was third in the Malibu Stakes here on Dec. 26.

The San Carlos also may be the stakes debut of Rail Trip, the undefeated 4-year-old gelding trained by Ron Ellis for Mace and Samantha Siegel.

"Georgie Boy is the only solid horse in there," Ellis said. "There is nothing wrong with running seven-eighths."

Ellis said on Saturday that he is considering Rail Trip for the San Carlos as well as the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap over 1 1/4 miles on March 7.

"We've nominated to everything that we could nominate to," he said. "I don't have a plan."

Rail Trip won a maiden race, an allowance race, and an optional claimer, by a combined 12 1/2 lengths. He won his debut over 1 1/16 miles in an optional claimer here by 5 1/2 lengths on Jan. 30, launching talk of a potential start in the Big Cap.

"I'll keep it in the back of my mind. It's a lot to ask of a horse," Ellis said of the Big Cap. "We'd be running a mile and a quarter against the best horses there are."

Back at You finally returns

Seven weeks after he was involved in a horrifying spill in the stretch of the Eddie Logan Stakes, Back at You starts in a $48,000 allowance race over six furlongs on Monday.

Trained by Eddie Truman, Back at You was leading the Logan Stakes when he ducked to the inside and unseated jockey Garrett Gomez while attempting to jump the rail. Back at You was not seriously injury, suffering a gash on his leg, but Gomez needed dental surgery and a day off before returning to riding.

The Logan was run over a mile on turf, and Monday's race is over six furlongs on the main track. Back at You will be ridden by Joel Rosario, who was aboard the colt for his first two starts, including a win in a six-furlong maiden race at Hollywood Park in November.

Back at You, owned by James and Ilene Roper, is part of a six-horse field. The race features three recent maiden race winners - Luckiest Man, New Bay, and Too Much Heat.

Of those, New Bay will attract support. Trained by Richard Mandella, New Bay won a seven-furlong race by a nose on Jan. 10, rallying from fifth in a field of eight to lead at the finish.

* Papa Clem, second in the Robert Lewis Stakes on Feb. 7, worked a half-mile in 1:00.60 on Saturday. Trainer Gary Stute is planning to start Papa Clem in the $600,000 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on March 14.

* There is no racing at Santa Anita on Wednesday. Racing resumes with an eight-race program on Thursday.